And of course.... seeds sprout

 Another hot one today, but will be hotter later in the week. Breezy but it's a warm wind and obviously feels better in the shade.

Almost ready to pick, probably will cut it off tomorrow given how fast it's going. I was looking to see if I had indeed put some squash seeds in the corner here and I think I did when I tried to plant peppers along that side of the bed. I also found pictures of the failed cucumber that was in the middle, sadness, might try cucumber on the trellis next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the gallon jug of water to keep the bean seeds moist (hopefully). You can see how I cut down the oregano stems in the other bed, just tossed them on the compost buckets to dry out. Will thin out that patch a bit more later on, it was being ravaged by chewers of some sort making holes and only close to the ground so nothing flying.

And of course, the squash seed came up with the two tomatoes. Prolific little bugger, wish the zucchini was as prolific and easy to grow. Going to have to just yank/cut off that one because I'd rather have the tomatoes than the squash.

The peppers are flowering well and setting fruit. Plants are still small for what they're growing but at least they're growing. Might have to start them sooner in seedling pots and just keep them going until they're bigger to plant out. Need to fertilize them right now though. Might do that tonight.

Remember that little guy under the tomato? Well when I was walking around the block yesterday I spied familiar purple flowers on a vine covering a fence about four houses down and across the street. Morning Glory. That seedling leaves match a google search for that plant. What the other two plants are is still a mystery but I am leaning toward native/weed that I've seen along roadsides as well.

The coriander that fell into Layla's planter is now all brown and setting seed...since she's not going to be using it I stripped some of the seeds off and sprinkled them in the two ground beds. Not that I don't have seeds but hate to see a plant go to waste like that. She watered just before I went out last night and because she's only using the shortened hose she just sprays however she can. 

Daydreaming about having an extra chunk of money in the month and what I could do with it to make the garden better. Meanwhile, back in reality.....

I want to leave my hose out but it won't be treated with care it needs.The grey hose that was originally bought is only $17 for a 50 foot a 25 foot from another company is two dollars more. Choices choices. Will make that decision next month, all my money is used up for this month.

 

Another day in the rising heat

 I really am not an early riser unless it's something important. I wanted to get out and water before the heat got too bad but turns out that wasn't until noon-ish when I finally was able to.

Definitely squash is happening. Top picture is today, it's dropped down considerably and the second one is from yesterday. Should be ready in another few days the way squash grows.

Only one female flower out of this current cycle but there may be a male at about the same growth for pollinating. As for the tomatoes I now have 8.

I picked those two red ones last night and they're more small round balls than typical Roma shape but that's okay, it happens. They are all sitting with the onions and garlic getting a bit more ripe and will be picking another three or four by midweek.

And another tomato sprouted! Thought I got another picture after watering the whole bed, oh well. This turns out very well actually because by the time these two are ready to plant, the current plants will be ready to rip out. Now if the beans would just get moving, but it's only been six days and germination is 7-10 days 😜😉.

Feels like spring again, except for the heat and sun and.... all that.

It's 4th of July and is hotter than previous years

 There's another wildfire somewhere in the county so sky is a bit hazy but there's a good wind blowing the other direction. Heat is going to be rising into next week so AC will be cranked up.

 

Best I can do for what's blooming in my garden other than the tomatillos and oregano. At least they're growing and hope they will continue for another few  months.

 

Yes indeed the second squash looks like it pollinated, that other one will get pulled off soon. The bush itself is once again leaning to the corner. The previous squash did the same thing in the opposite corner. The lettuces were still in the bed when that squash was coming up otherwise I would have moved it to the middle.

Another tomato was ready and looks like it will be consecutive fruit for the next few weeks. I tried pulling one of those two smaller ones off but it didn't come easily so left them on for another day or two. Have a total of five and actually used one of them in a salad the other day.

 

On to the mystery seedlings. The one on the left popped up yesterday and the leaf shapes are completely new to me for a seedling. The two sides are fused together at the center which I have not seen before. I used google lens and a few rather frightening matches came up, ivy and morning glory, neither of which have been near there. Having it show up under the tomato instead of out in the open is a factor because if it were a bird it would be more out in the open right? When I see the true leaves I'll be able to get a better idea of what it is. No matter what, it isn't going to stay there. It does seem to be a morning glory seedling which, as much as I love the flower it is NOT going to live in my garden.

I am still convinced that the other two seedlings and this one are from the 'compost'. Nothing like these have shown up before and suddenly here they are after I used it. 

The lone tomato seedling this morning. If I'm lucky there might be a couple more, these are the Terra Cotta tomatoes so even if I only get one, it'll be good. 

Too hot to go out until the sun is almost gone today so I'm glad I watered day before yesterday and then made sure that little seedling and the beans got an extra watering. For the first time in years it is hot and windy on this holiday. 

Not that it's good but it's as it should be in July.

Fireworks Pennisetum.

And watered again today because...it's hot.

 I have to remind myself that mulch is good but it also dries out just as fast when it's this hot. I also have six bean seeds in the soil that need to say hydrated.

On the evening walkabout with Rocky the other day I decided to take a picture of the pink oleander in bloom. I haven't been out in the parking lot lately and failed to notice it. The Shamel Ash tree above it has been dropping seeds for weeks now, the pavement is covered it the seeds.

Another seedling! Definitely looks like another squash but it is way late in the season for it to sprout now. And the third squash pollination I think took. The first one that was yellow wasn't growing so I broke it off, the second one is just under the bigger one and don't think that one took either. I pollinated that third one last night and it's definitely bigger than before.

The tomatoes are ripening quickly, those three are the visible ones with another one around to the right at the back where I picked the first one. The random seedlings are forming stalks and more leaves. It looks like it might be an acacia but from where? And how would two of them show up in the raise bed at the same time? Wait a second..... Jacaranda?????? Maybe??? Have to really wait for them to get bigger to tell. Nope, not Jacaranda, just looked at leaf comparisons and the cotyledon leaves are completely different.

The cotyledon leaves look like the seed cases of the tree so that's not it at all and true leaves look like jacaranda, not the ones I have. So that's ruled out. I've seen those sprouts before and something in the back of my mind says it's either a weed or acacia. If it's acacia it's still a weed.

The peppers are blooming which is good but they're still kind of spindly, there's plenty of wind to build up strength in the stem and I do water them well, knocking them around. The only other thing I can think of is another dose of fertilizer soon. I tried to look back at other posts to see when I fertilized last and despite even putting the tag on the post can't find it.  More than two weeks ago for sure, since it's the beginning of July I think I did the first week of June in fact so it's time. Maybe tomorrow.

 

Squash and peppers and tomatoes oh my!

At least I got out and watered yesterday.

 The heat is ramping up and hitting 90 two days in a row. I went out around 7:30 last night and it was downright pleasant as long as you didn't stand in the sun too long. Absolutely no wind this morning which worried me but now it's gusty breezes, when we are closed up and running the AC.

 

This was when I had to take out the trash and water last night. Just clear skies and afternoon sun slanting in, the sound of air conditioners running in everyone's windows. Which means the garden was baked.

Nipping off the terminal growth on the peppers seems to have helped.They're not full and lush like they should be but they are budding at least. This was after I watered so the mulch is darker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The one mystery seedling is growing a stem, with my luck these are going to be some noxious weed because that's what it's starting to look like. 

Pollinated another flower and the other fruit hasn't grown much, oh well. Lots of those really tiny sugar ants in the flowers at least. I had hoped to get out early in the morning to do the flowers but it warmed up entirely too fast.

I also remembered to plant some beans (the dark soil spots are where I tested to see moisture level and deemed beds needed watering). Six plants is likely entirely too much if they all sprout, especially the ones in the raised bed. I made sure to plug the seeds down at least an inch and a half before watering everything thoroughly. The beans, should they survive, in the west bed will be just fine I suspect since those peppers are so slow growing. When I looked at the directions for planting beans it said the soil temperature needed to be above 50 degrees. Oh let me tell you that soil was certainly warm enough.

Last years squash and this years squash. Tomato fail in the background and almost a fail this year as well. As soon as the tomatoes are done they are coming out and will wait until November to plant something else. I can't grow enough peas to be useful but might plant some sweet peas if I can find the seeds. 

Really can't wait until I can dig the beds up again so I can mix all that compost in there and add in more soil to get that raised bed up to the depth it should be. But other than lettuce and hopefully potatoes in that bed not sure what else besides root crops to plant. I haven't had a chance to get to the library and see what seeds they have, may not be able to for a long while.

Will see how this all works out as usual.

And maybe not correct

 I posted the pictures of the 'mimosa' seedlings and was immediately shot down by the resident expert on everything. Instead of doing one or two sentences how it might not be correct, she went through the laundry list explanation of seed dispersal. I have mentioned several times in that group how I had worked at a nursery for almost 20 years but apparently she didn't remember that. She doubted that it came from the compost because seeds aren't likely to survive. Well I beg to differ on this particular 'compost' wasn't really broken down. Any seed could hitchhike on wood chips and shreds.

Exhibit A: The seedling that is almost being covered by the squash leaf has leaves that are closed up. I had been moving the squash around a bit to get a picture of the flowers and possible fruit. The other seedling, still had the leaves open and almost flat.

It's still ripping hot outside, up to 91 yesterday and 90 today so not going out until sunset to check on things and maybe water. That south bed needs some higher walls around it, just need ten inch wide boards, only now remembering I have two side wall pieces from the raised bed but those are 17 inches tall and only two of them so will have to maybe scrounge at HD for some of their scrap wood.

That one flower that was kind of kinked over, non viable. Completely mutated pistil so just brok it off. The other one that I pollinated 'looks' like it might have taken but it hasn't grown much since then and I know how fast they grow so not counting it right now as a done deal.

 

There are two more females coming up and when I go out this evening will see about pollinating the larger one. If that squash is longer than my fingers tonight I'll be happy. Wasn't expecting to grow squash this year but here I am.

The tomato plants are just awful. As soon as they're done fruiting I'm yanking them out. The peppers are doing okay, growing a lot of side branches at least. That's a good sign but they should have been twice this size and fruiting by now. I need a greenhouse set up to start the seeds sooner or spend the extra money and buy started plants already. Can't be a successful gardener or farmer without a deep pocket to get the right tools and supplies.

Oh yeah keep forgetting to bring down the bean seeds to toss out there too. Had to double check right now to see if I should soak them before planting but consensus is no, they aren't like peas and have a hard shell. This is good, I'll toss a few out there and see what happens. Plant the seeds inch to inch and a half wow... will make sure to do that. Wondering if I should risk planting in the raised bed. Enough room in front of the tomatoes but with the worm issue and having to pull them up soon... 

Will figure it out. 

Crazy days of summer are here.